1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for providing audio and video content service, and more particularly, to an apparatus and a method for controlling one or more video display apparatuses installed in a vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
Recently, various terminals having audio-visual capabilities such as a telematics terminal having a GPS receiver and a navigation terminal are installed in vehicles. These terminals provide drivers various functions such as guiding a vehicle to a desired destination by selecting a right route, playing music, watching television, displaying a still image or a moving picture.
However, when a driver watches television or a moving picture during driving, a possibility of a car accident is increased. Accordingly, an occurrence of the car accident can be prevented by not displaying video contents on a terminal monitor having audio-visual functions installed in the vehicle during driving.
As a conventional method to control the video contents displayed on the terminal monitor having audio-visual functions, there is a method in which operations of a foot brake, a transmission lever, and a parking brake of the vehicle are combined for the control of the display of the video contents. In other words, according to the conventional method, a driver should shift a transmission lever to a parking (P) level or a neutral (N) level or apply the parking brake after the vehicle is stopped by an operation of a brake of the vehicle, for displaying the video contents. Accordingly, when the controller detects the shift of the transmission lever to the P level or the N level or an operational status of the parking brake and transmits an operating signal to the terminal having audio-visual functions, the driver and passengers can watch the video contents displayed on a screen of the terminal having audio-visual functions. Alternatively, there is a method in which the video contents are displayed on the terminal monitor having audio-visual functions only when the vehicle is stopped by applying a foot brake of the vehicle.
In the conventional methods described above, there is an inconvenience in that the driver should operate the transmission lever or the parking brake repeatedly in a downtown traffic jam for watching the video contents on the monitor screen of the terminal having audio-visual functions. In addition, when only the foot brake is used for controlling the display, there is a problem in that the terminal having audio-visual functions is repeatedly turned on/off when the foot brake is pressed off/on during driving. In addition, in the conventional methods, passengers cannot watch the video contents through the monitor of the terminal having audio-visual functions, since display of the video contents is stopped during driving of the vehicle.